Gratitude
Choosing a theme of gratitude while
practicing yoga can improve your mood.
We often theme our yoga practices. And
whether you practice gratitude during
class or throughout your day, your happi-
ness meter will go up! Try waking up in
the morning and going to sleep at night
naming five things you are grateful for.
Likewise, try starting and ending your
yoga practice naming five things you are
grateful for. All of a sudden, your cup will
be not only half full, but overflowing with
joy.
“Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who made
the morning and spread it over the fields...
Watch, now, how I start the day in happi-
ness, in kindness.”
- Mary Oliver
“If there is anything in this world that can
change the heart of a human being in a very
quick time, that is music and dance.”
- Swami Sivananada
By practicing yoga, you learn to listen to
your body and honor it. This will auto-
matically make you happier. When you
practice, you raise serotonin, oxytocin, and
GABA levels in your body. Feeling happy
has everything to do with the chemical
reactions in your body. Practicing yoga
reduces your blood pressure and cortisol,
the stress hormone. Deep focused breath-
ing encourages positive emotions. It is a
powerful stress-management technique.
Yoga and deep breathing reduce anxiety.
It takes courage and work and practice to
flourish through Vermont winters! Yoga
gives us the tools to accept the winter for
what it is and to make the most out of it.
Whether it is sleeting, snowing, freezing
rain, gray and dark, or sunny and sparkly
and crisp and beautiful, yoga teaches to
accept it with grace. Yoga gives us the tools
to stay healthy and fully enjoy the winter
season.
Singing and Dancing
Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of loving devotion.
Whether you sing in church or temple,
in the yoga studio, while walking in the
woods or skiing down the mountain,
singing opens our hearts to joy and con-
nection to something bigger than each of
us alone. When we go to a yoga class, the
sound of om is often chanted at the begin-
ning and the end of class. Om is believed
to be the sound of the universe, the actual
vibration that occurred when the Big
Bang happened. When we join together
in community and chant om, our hearts
open with love and connection. Whether
you are chanting om or “Hallelujah” or “let
it snow” or “shanti, shanti, shanti” (peace,
peace, peace), notice how singing light-
ens your mood and increases feelings of
overall joy.
Happiness
Health
It’s okay to practice yoga at home for sure.
And it’s okay to practice in community.
Regardless of where, just practice! The
benefits, especially in winter, are grand. It
can increase circulation; reduce asthma
symptoms; boost your immune system;
keep winter weight gain at bay; stretch out
tight muscles; give you peace of mind; help
beat feelings of isolation; and provide an
overall sense of well-being.
“Your relationship with love is your rela-
tionship with the essence of who you are.
It affects your relationship with your body,
and your relationship with food. When you
realize that you are a spirit and that this
body is a temple, then you want to treat it
well.”
- Marianne Williamson
And if participating in winter sports in
Vermont is what makes you happy,
practicing yoga can make your winter
sports activities even more enjoyable—
for all of the reasons listed above.
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but
I have promises to keep, and miles to go
before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
- Robert Frost
Jo Kirsch is director and co-owner of
Heart of the Village Yoga in Manchester,
Vermont. Jo has been practicing yoga
for 30 years and teaching for 20. An avid
outdoor enthusiast and certified profes-
sional ski instructor, Jo has found yoga to
be a beautiful complement to winter sports
and a great way to stay healthy and happy
through the long winter months.
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